Fighting with your back to the wall is all well and good—as long as you’ve chosen the right wall.
When the local authorities ask Kyle Juenger to hunt a shape-shifting
Glyrinny spy, he can’t refuse. After all, he can use the reward to
replace his paralyzed legs with cyberware, and maybe even to return to
his home planet. Besides, he hates the morphs—those invasive,
brain-eating monstrosities whose weapons cost him his legs.
Kyle’s best lead is the Scorpion, a mercenary ship armed to the teeth. Grimm, the Scorpion’s pilot and captain, fascinates Kyle. He’s everything Kyle lost with his legs, and he’s from the same home world. He’s also of the warrior caste—half priest, half savior. But Grimm’s been twisted by life as a merc, and Kyle’s stuck undercover as a criminal on the run.
That doesn’t stop Grimm from coming on to Kyle, or from insisting he’s more than the sum of his past and his useless legs. But Kyle has other concerns—like tracking a dangerous morph who could be wearing anyone’s face. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, Kyle can’t tell if Grimm is part of the solution . . . or part of the problem.
Kyle’s best lead is the Scorpion, a mercenary ship armed to the teeth. Grimm, the Scorpion’s pilot and captain, fascinates Kyle. He’s everything Kyle lost with his legs, and he’s from the same home world. He’s also of the warrior caste—half priest, half savior. But Grimm’s been twisted by life as a merc, and Kyle’s stuck undercover as a criminal on the run.
That doesn’t stop Grimm from coming on to Kyle, or from insisting he’s more than the sum of his past and his useless legs. But Kyle has other concerns—like tracking a dangerous morph who could be wearing anyone’s face. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, Kyle can’t tell if Grimm is part of the solution . . . or part of the problem.
********************
Aleksandr Voinov's newest release is an enthralling read that drew me in from the very first page and still hasn't let go long after the final page was turned. As a fan of the sci-fi genre I found the world-building and technological advances absolutely intriguing and the scientific ideas involving DNA manipulation thought provoking. The actions and ideas in this book seem like just the tip of the iceberg and I truly hope this is a world we'll be returning to in the future.
The hero in this story is unique in that for most of the story he's unable to walk without electrically engineered prosthesis. I've always enjoyed less than perfect characters. I've found them more relatable and considering that I'm disabled myself, the feelings of loss Kyle experienced were very realistic and the technological advances helping him walk have me curious to any real world applications. The political and genetic intrigue occurring throughout this story was extremely suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel as though the implications revealed in Incursion are just the tip of the iceberg and long to revisit this exciting world Aleks has created.
The romance between Kyle and Grimm was sweetly seductive and led to a sensuous encounter that respected Kyle's disability but didn't dwell on it. It was written perfectly, beautifully balanced and I wish there'd been more scenes like this in the space of this short story. Heck, I wish more authors would follow in Aleks' footsteps and incorporate more disabled characters into their stories.
This book resonated with me for a number of reasons. The romance and suspense seamlessly wove together to form an exciting story that sci-fi fans and non-fans alike will enjoy. Ultimately, this story can be seen as a demonstration of the healing power of love and acceptance and on that level it greatly succeeds.
My rating for this is an A!
*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
The romance between Kyle and Grimm was sweetly seductive and led to a sensuous encounter that respected Kyle's disability but didn't dwell on it. It was written perfectly, beautifully balanced and I wish there'd been more scenes like this in the space of this short story. Heck, I wish more authors would follow in Aleks' footsteps and incorporate more disabled characters into their stories.
This book resonated with me for a number of reasons. The romance and suspense seamlessly wove together to form an exciting story that sci-fi fans and non-fans alike will enjoy. Ultimately, this story can be seen as a demonstration of the healing power of love and acceptance and on that level it greatly succeeds.
My rating for this is an A!
*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
Hi, Jody! You do the best reviews, so detailed. Now I'm curious to read this, and science fiction isn't even my preferred genre. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet of you to say Val. I sometimes worry I'm too detailed (it's my college English degree rearing its head...lol) since many of the reviews I read are quick, to the point, with a bit of flippancy which makes them enjoyable. As long as I got the point across of how much I enjoyed this book and its uniqueness of having a disabled character in the forefront, then I'm pleased.
DeleteThanks again for visiting and I look forward to your upcoming release!
Jody, you're very welcome, and thank you! You totally shouldn't worry about having a detailed style. You're in an elite minority in that most reviewers don't take the time to go that deep with their reviews -- they're trying for breadth of the whole genre rather than for individual depth (and they have their place, too, because they manage to bring attention to a lot of books that might otherwise never get reviewed at all).
ReplyDeleteBut those one or two reviewers who review in-depth -- we authors just can't enough. We drink in your observations. And, as a reader, I tend to get convinced to buy 90% of the time by the in-depth reviewer. :D
Seconded. :)
ReplyDelete